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Razia al-Saif
Sultana Razia al-Rahimah bint Meher al-Saif (lit. Queen Razia Satisfied, Merciful Daughter of Meher Benevolent of the Sword Tribe) was the previous ruler of Vanna, mother of Khalid and Sumrah and the identical twin sister of Adela al-Saif. She was fierce but surprisingly benevolent for a Sarquil and was loved by many of her subjects. She had a secret affair with Count Belial de Ardyn, which infuriated some of the members of the court and also made her sister Adela, who had a crush on Belial, jealous. This tension eventually escalated up to the point when Adela openly challenged Razia to a duel in which Razia lost her life. Biography Early Years Becoming a Sultana Sultana Meher al-Saif, the head of House of Saif, or the Sword Tribe, gave birth to twin daughters Razia and Adela in Vanna. The birth of twins was very uncommon among the Sarquil, and thus people began whispering about all sorts of prophecies and that the girls were destined to do something which would shape the fate of the Sarquil tribes forever. Meher ignored such murmurings and raised her daughters the best way she could. When Adela and Razia turned 18, their mother was challenged to a duel as the Sarquil laws dictated. To the girls' surprise Meher lost and was promptly executed for being weak. Adela seemed content with this because she considered herself too weak to challenge her mother's killer. Razia, however, took matters into her own hands and immediately challenged the surviving duelist. This had never been done in the Sarquil tribes before, and it caused quite an uproar. However, Razia was eventually allowed to duel with her mother's killer, and she bested her and became the new Sultana of Vanna. Falling in Love During her reign Razia eventually met a traveller named Belial de Ardyn. She was fascinated by his magic and began spending more time with him as she learned news of the outside world. Meanwhile Belial learned the Sarquil customs, and they grew closer. Adela was also infatuated with Belial who rejected her advances because he had his eyes on Razia. The relationship between Belial and Razia eventually led to Razia's pregnancy, and she gave birth to two healthy boys, Sumrah and Khalid, over the years. Sumrah was taken away because his brown hair would have instantly given the nobles the proof of who Sumrah's father had been, and Razia wanted to protect Sumrah from the accusations of being the son of an infidel. However, Khalid remained in Vanna after his birth because he looked more like a Sarquil. The ever-observant nobles nevertheless began whispering about who the father might be, but Razia never made it public. The nobles knew to keep their noses out of it; after all, it was common that the sultanas slept with many men, and Razia was no exception. It was a love that both knew was too good to last, but neither was willing to quit it especially after their sons had been born. Belial, member of the Order of the Black Rose, and Razia, a Sarquil sultana who wore white desert roses as her crown, matched in many ways. Many superstitious Sarquil who suspected their relationship saw them as symbolically linked because Belial's black rose and Razia's white rose protected and complemented each other. Golden Years Belial advised Razia in matters of state, and many Sarquil nobles frowned when they heard of this because they thought an outlander should not influence the head of the city too much. If they had known that Belial was the father of Khalid, they would have been even harsher, but all they could do was to suspect even if they never said it out loud. Belial could only stay for short periods of time because he was occasionally recalled back to Maar Sul for reasons he never explained. Meanwhile Razia began using many of the ideas Belial had introduced her to, and she began the expansion of the territories of the Sword Tribe but not by means of force but by diplomacy. Her strategy seemed to work even if the Black Guard wished for more action. Luckily the captain of the guard, Ismail, found Razia's ideas interesting and kept his men in check. A time of peace and prosperity entered into Vanna, and some still remember that time as the Golden Years. Dark Times However, the Yamatian Invasion and the Great War ended that tranquility. Although the Sarquil tribes managed to keep the invading Yamatians out, they lost many brave warriors. Adela began complaining to Razia about the state the tribes had fallen in and suggested that Vanna should unite all the bickering tribes by force so that they could stand a chance against any invaders. Razia was reluctant to do this at first but realized that she had to proceed faster with her diplomacy or her sister's prophecy of doom would come true. The Great War ended in the Cataclysm, and the demons began attacking the Tronin Desert. Adela was furious of Razia's unwillingness to use force to unite the tribes, and she blamed her for the downfall of the Sarquil tribes. Razia wasn't willing to listen to her sister's complaints and continued her politics as usual. The emergence of a new threat, the Sirithai, took most of Razia's time, and she travelled with Ismail to the desert where they met Qadohi, the leader of the Sirithai. To Ismail's surprise Qadohi and Razia seemed to come to terms about a mutual existence, and thus the conflicts between their peoples came to an end. When a wandering mage named Iblis al-Djinn appeared, the hierarchy of power began stirring in Vanna. Adela began consulting Iblis who was knowledgeable of matters of the outside world, and he too shared Adela's willingness to act. The two began plotting, and members of the Clergy of Artemicia began entering Vanna in secret. Dark times were ahead for Razia and everyone who was still loyal to her. Death Razia was killed in a duel by her sister Adela in 1006 AE. This duel was the result of Adela's frustration and Iblis's manipulation. Adela wanted to unite the tribes and she was also jealous of Razia's son because Adela herself was deemed barren. Adela slew Razia, hoping to gain Belial's love that way. There were murmurings of whether the duel between Razia and Adela had been fair, but Adela quickly silenced those who spoke against her. The Clergy of Artemicia had come to stay, and the court had new members. Razia's supporters such as Awar, Ismail and Khalid were driven into exile. Legacy Although Razia was dead, her shadow would loom over Vanna and the Sarquil tribes for a long time. Her son Khalid had not forgotten her death, and he promised to come back to dethrone Adela. Belial, Razia's lover, also heard of the circumstances of Razia's death and swore to train Khalid for the inevitable confrontation with Adela who had become the new Sultana of Vanna. Aliases and Nicknames ; Sultana of Vanna : Her title. ; Your Majesty : Used by her subjects. Appearance Identical twin of Adela. Personality and Traits A determined but quite benevolent leader for someone of Sarquil blood. Powers and Abilities Razia was not skilled in the use of magic, but she was good at using her twin scimitars in battle. She was deemed to be invincible until she lost to her sister Adela. Relationships Adela al-Saif Adela and Razia were close as sisters although Adela was always the more violent one. When Belial arrived and Razia fell in love, Adela felt as if she had been betrayed although she also began caring for Belial. Things turned even more awkward when Razia gave birth to Khalid whereas Adela remained barren which in Sarquil culture is a great sin. This made Adela desperate and she began blaming Razia for witchcraft and various other preposterous crimes. This eventually culminated in a bloody duel between the sisters in which Razia lost her life. Awar Razia saw Awar as a useful servant and advisor although she thought it was unfortunate that Awar was mishapen. Awar saw Razia as a wise albeit weak ruler but stayed by her side to the end. This loyalty eventually forced Awar into exile along with Ismail and Khalid. Belial de Ardyn To put it mildly, Belial and Sultana Razia had a fiery relationship that was kept secret from the majority of the Sarquil tribes. They loved each other deeply, but marriage was never an option because Belial was an outsider and an infidel as far as the Sarquil saw him. This did not stop the two's relationship, and in a way Razia gave a different meaning to Belial's life which had been until then full of suffering and death. Razia opened Belial to new points of view and helped him become a better person, but sadly this dream came to an end when Razia was brutally decapitated by her twin sister Adela during the duel for the throne of Vanna. Belial grieved Razia years after her death and never forgot her. This went so far that Belial was willing to slay anyone who dared mock Razia's memory. Ismail Ismail and Razia respected each other. Razia was happy with how strong Ismail was and how he kept her son Khalid in check. Ismail saw Razia as the sort of ruler who might finally be able to make the Sarquil society grow stronger. This loyalty cost Ismail his job when Razia was killed, and he was driven into exile with Awar and Khalid. Khalid al-Saif If there was one person whom Khalid loved more than anything, it was his mother, Razia. He admired her courage and wisdom, although he never quite understood why only a woman could rule over the Sarquil tribes. Nevertheless the days Khalid spent with Razia were pleasant, and although Razia's training was hard at times, Khalid eagerly accepted all punishments in order to grow stronger. Razia was proud of her son, although she was sad that Khalid had not been born a girl. Khalid was utterly devastated when Adela killed Razia in a duel, and from that day on he swore to avenge his mother's death, ignoring the Sarquil laws. See also *Awar *Belial de Ardyn *House of Saif *Ismail *Rose of the Desert Category:Characters Category:House of Saif Category:Humans Category:Libaterra Category:Sultanate of Karaganda Category:Third Age